DURBAN will house the largest international conference facility in the country with the completion of the first phase of a new expansion project at the end of next month.

The project, to double the size of Durban's International Convention Centre (ICC), started in January this year.

Facilities will be extended by an additional 11500m² to cover a total area of 30000m². The finishing touches to the first 2500m² are expected to be completed by the end of next month.

The centre will be able to seat 13000 people and will have a new 4500-seat auditorium and eight additional interconnected meeting rooms. Capacity can be expanded by using the adjacent Durban Exhibition Centre.

Alec Gilbert, CEO of ICC Durban, says it is hoped that the second phase, consisting of another 5000m², will start early next year.

The plans provide for the inclusion of an additional facility probably to be called the ICC Durban Arena to accommodate major sports events and concerts.

When the final phase of the extension is completed, the ICC will be the only facility in the country able to accommodate events in the 10000 to 12000delegate category.

Gilbert says despite a trend towards bigger conferences, the vast majority in line with international norms will still cater for up to about 2000 delegates.

Another trend is for cities to package themselves by providing virtually a one-stop service, says Gilbert.

"Buyers are looking at new destinations. This is why Africa and SA in particular is becoming so popular. Africa is now a real option."

The ICC is wholly owned by the City of Durban the Ethekweni Metropolitan Municipality.

It set up a private company, CC Durban, that runs the day-today management of the convention centre and the adjacent Durban Exhibition Centre.

The ICC was the venue for this month's World Economic Forum attended by several heads of state, including SA President Thabo Mbeki.

"The market is growing. When we first started out it was quite difficult to get associations and other organisations to bid for international conferences," says Gilbert.

"There is now a different culture. People realise we are as good as anywhere else around the world and they want to bring these events to local destinations.

"As ICC, we are also looking at diversifying so that we can take the really big events while at the same time looking at other revenue streams."

For the second consecutive year, the centre has been awarded the title of Africa's leading convention centre by the Londonbased World Travel Awards.

In addition, for the third consecutive year ICC Durban has won the award in the Conference Venue Without Accommodation category from Leading Venues, a trade magazine for the hospitality industry.

The City of Durban has again been ranked as Africa's top international convention destination by the International Congress and Convention Association.

Gilbert says there are a number of points of difference between ICC Durban and the other major convention centres.

African appeal is very much part of ICC Durban's marketing strategy.

He says the centre can offer delegates "the most African experience in the country".

Factors include the cultural mix of the local African people, the fusion of different cuisines such as African and Asian, and the wide selection of game parks within an hour's drive of the city, among others.

"In future, various cities will start to niche themselves," he says.

"The challenge for the national tourism authority and marketing agencies is to showcase the best that SA is able to offer and to highlight these different opportunities," he says.

"We've found that businesses start to develop as a result of the conference industry.

"Our business is worth a massive amount in terms of turnover.

"Some tour operators, for example, have started to specialise in the conference arena. It extends right down to street traders and takeaway facilities. Everybody benefits."

Attendance figures indicate that this year's Indaba 2003 travel trade show, hosted at the centre last month, attracted more than 1400 international delegates, an 8,8% increase over those attending in 2002.

"Indaba 2003's success can largely be attributed to the additional space provided by ICC's extension project. It enabled us to accommodate several exhibitors on our waiting list, including new exhibitors from developing countries," says Melanie Froneman, a director of RAI Travel Exhibitions.

Jun 24 2003 07:33:22:000AM  Business Day 1st Edition